08/28/2026
Happy first week of classes! We are delighted to share our first event of the new school year with you all: the premiere of “Metallurgical Memory,” a short film created by Vanderbilt Anthropology assistant professor Kimberley McKinson and filmmaker Ania Freer on Thursday, September 10 at 6pm in Buttrick 103. Following the screening, Dr. McKinson will join María Magdalena Campos-Pons in a discussion moderated by Lanecia Rouse, who was a Berg artist-in-residence at Vanderbilt last fall. The film and discussion will highlight the artistic practice of Jamaican master metalsmith Trevor Figueroa and examine connections among art, memory, spirituality, and the built environment in the African diaspora. A reception will follow—we hope you’ll join us! RSVP at the link in bio.
“Metallurgical Memory” is an intimate documentary portrait of Mr. Trevor Figueroa, a Jamaican master metal artist. In his Kingston workshop, where metal is transformed into grilles, gates, and burglar bars, Mr. Figueroa reflects on a lifetime of craft and creativity. Through his stories and daily rituals, the film traces the intimate relationship between maker and material, where metal becomes more than matter, carrying memories, histories, and a life of its own. Metallurgical Memory offers a poetic portrait of an artist whose practice is deeply entwined with the material world he shapes.
Many thanks to Vanderbilt Anthropology, Vanderbilt CLACX, and the Wond'ry for co-sponsoring this event.
